ENGLAND didn't see the value of a draw against Uruguay and GORDON says their belief that they could go on to win instead of holding on was ultimately their undoing.

England manager Roy Hodgson sits with his head in his hands after his side lost 2-1 defeat to Uruguay

Share

Get daily updates directly to your inbox

Thank you for subscribing!

Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email

THAT'S the trouble with the English. They don’t understand the value of the middle ground.

That sometimes there’s more to life than victory or defeat, than death or glory.

If they got that, if they were able to drum it into their national psyche, maybe they’d have seen the value of a draw in their World Cup match against Uruguay the other night.

But the notion of a draw as success is a complete anathema to them. The notion of being seen to play for one? Please...

They admitted as much afterwards. When they got level, they felt like they were the only team who would go on to win it. It never crossed their mind that they didn’t actually need to.

If Italy or Germany, or any of countless other more pragmatic and less arrogant nations were in that position, they’d have bolted the back door shut for 15 minutes.

Take the win if they could, but above all, make damn sure they don’t lose. Like Uruguay did.

England’s self-awareness, their strategic understanding of tournament football, was criminal. If they had some, they’d be going into Tuesday night’s game with a fighting chance.

A two-goal win over Costa Rica, and a Uruguay draw or victory over Italy that matched theirs, and they’d be through. Only an Italy win would have screwed them.

Do it, and all the wailing and gnashing of teeth and navel-gazing of the past few days would have been avoided.

Roy Hodgson admitted as much himself. “Had we drawn,” he sighed, “I’d be tempted to say to you our chances were good.”

But then again, that’s reflective of the whole notion of British sport. We’re either hysterical or apocalyptic. Anything between is at best insignificant and at worst unacceptable.

Look at the stat we always trot out as the ultimate measure of managerial success. Win percentage. If a boss is in charge of a club for 150 games and he wins 50, draws 50 and loses 50, his success rate is 33.3 per cent.

In other words, he’s failed. We assign no value whatsoever to any of the 50 draws.

Our glass-half-empty culture automatically sees the draw as a fault.

This irritates the life out of me. We never turn around and say “He managed a club for 150 games and only lost 50.” Do we? We never assign success to the crucial single points gained or the Cup games taken to extra time or replays or won on penalties.

Fair enough, some do represent failure. But some are rip-roaring successes, momentum-gatherers, spirit boosters, moral victories.

The irony is, a nation could lift the World Cup without winning a single game in 90 minutes. They could draw three in the groups to progress, like Chile did at France 98. Then win every knockout round in extra time or a shoot-out.

And we’d still record their manager’s win percentage as zero.

Listen there’s any number of reasons why England will be coming home on Tuesday.

On the evidence so far, they are the fourth best team in their group. The post-mortems indicate a great national shame but, truth is, they lost to two teams ranked above them.

But that’s the English for you. Their notion of themselves as one of the world’s elite has been misguided for the best part of two decades.

A period that, completely non-ironically, coincides with the rise of their self-aggrandising ‘Best League in the World’.

A league that has failed to develop English players (less than 35 per cent of the 500 across 20 squads) and English managers (40 per cent). Of these home-grown bosses only Garry Monk at 35 and Sean Dyche at 42 are under 50.

England can change the name on the manager’s door again if they like – they usually do – but it’s the circus show that goes on behind it that’s their biggest problem.

And until they address their national game’s dysfunctional relationship with its flagship product, its Premier League, they’ll go through the same routine at every major tournament.

They’ll still believe they have the world at their feet. England will still expect, without a crumb of justification or the kernel of an idea of how to get there.

They just don’t get it. Chances are they never will.

****

Last week I was convinced we would never see a World Cup goal as beautiful as Robin van Persie’s diving header against Spain.

Then along came Tim Cahill’s stunning left-footed volley, in off the bar, against the Dutch.

Joint goal of the tournament, anyone? I defy you to choose.

****

Alan Stubbs has the potential to be a top, top choice for Hibs.

I remember speaking to him at Largs five years ago when he was starting his badges. He was quite clear then he wanted to be a manager, not a coach.

Stubbs has the personality and charisma to lead.

He just needs to be allowed to do it.

***

Either Christian Nerlinger feels altruistic, or Rangers are still spending money they don’t have on personnel they don’t particularly need.

In theory, a head of football operations is crucial to a club’s performance.

But do the Ibrox side need, and can they afford, someone with a Bayern Munich-sized pedigree in the job?